


The Story of the Sisters of Fate

by Sugargay19



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugargay19/pseuds/Sugargay19
Summary: Ava wakes up in what seems like a summer camp that looks like they take activities way to seriously. She is greeted by this scary, boss bitch lady who tells her in a very short version that Mythology isn’t fiction at all, gods and goddesses exist, and Ava Silva is not the world’s number one delinquent.She’s just a demigod.
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Camila/Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 178





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [until i saw you in my thunderstorm (i didn’t see)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26064484) by [Baejoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baejoo/pseuds/Baejoo). 



> Hey guys so all of the credit for this should go to Beajoo who wrote most of this fic. I am just changing a few things and plan on continuing it beyond where they left off. They did such a good job with it and I will try to do it justice once it cuts off where they ended.  
> I hope you enjoy it :)

Ava’s head is still whirling. Her whole life was changing, which admittedly wasn’t all bad considering where she was before this. She had lived most of her life in a god-awful orphanage, which is ironic seeing as it is run by God-fearing nuns. Her life has not been boring or easy. It was full of a constant barrage of weird attacks and an onslaught of deaths around her. 

Ava was experiencing one of those weird attacks by this thing with an ugly face and even worse breath, when two badass girls with shotguns and what looked like a crossbow came to her rescue. That was all she saw before passing out into a pile of garbage. 

Ava wakes up in what seems like a summer camp that looks like they take activities way too seriously. She is greeted by this scary, boss bitch lady who tells her in a very short version that Mythology isn’t fiction at all, gods and goddesses exist, and Ava Silva is not the world’s number one delinquent. 

She’s just a demigod. 

“Okay, so, ready for the tour?” 

Ava is brought back by a preppy voice and she sees a girl who she recognized as one of the girls who saved her, standing by the door. She’s all smiles and wide grins, and she’s almost shaking in excitement— definitely not a look Ava is used to being directed or even associated with her. 

“Uh…hi you are one of the badasses who saved me right?” She says as she glances between the girl to the woman standing before her. 

“This is Camila,” Mother Superion, the boss bitch of a camp director, says. “She’ll be your guide for today and she’ll help you find where you’ll be staying while you remain unclaimed.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Camila, daughter of Apollo. And to answer your question, yes, I was one of the girls who came to pick you up” Camila says, extending her hand out for a handshake. 

Ava takes it, “Thanks for the save. I’m Ava, daughter of someone— don’t know who, actually hoping you guys can help me out.”

Camila laughs as she leads Ava out of the huge building, “We’ll try to figure it out as we go. While waiting to be claimed though, you’ll have to stay in the Hermes cabin. The people there are nice, though there's a lot of them there.”

“Why is that?” 

“Some don’t get claimed at all. So, they’re just forced to stay there with Hermes being the god of travelers.” 

Ava frowns at this. “Wow, these gods and goddesses can be real fucking jerks, huh?”

“Language.” Camila says with a frown at Ava, “And don’t say that, it’s blasphemous, and it might anger the gods and goddesses. If that happens, we get punished in one way or another.”

Further proof that the gods and goddesses suck balls, Ava thinks but she doesn’t mention it. Instead, she continues on following Camila on the tour and listening to the things she’s saying and looking at things she’s pointing out. 

Camila is talking about the garden near the Demeter cabin, when Ava sees a girl walk out from Cabin #1. Ava watches as the girl sits on the marble steps of the cabin and leans against one of the columns. The girl raises a hand in front of her. Nothing happens at first but then Ava sees movement, sees several leaves start to levitate and twirl around her hand, twirl in the direction the girl moves her hand in.

“Wow,” Ava whispers in awe. She turns to her Camila, who was chatting with a Demeter girl, and taps her on the arm. “Hey, uh, Camila.”

“Yes, Ava?”

“Who is she?”

Camila turns to where Ava is looking at and smiles happily. “Oh, that’s Bea. Beatrice, the daughter of Zeus.”

Ava turns her attention to Camila, “The daughter of Zeus?”

“Oh, well. Beatrice is the sole occupant of Cabin #1. She’s the only daughter of Zeus in the camp. It has been that way since she arrived in camp. It was empty before her, and it’s been a long while since there was last a child of Zeus.”

“Oh. You’d think Zeus’ cabin would be crawling with kids considering who he is.” Ava says with a snort. 

“Blasphemy,” Camila chides gently, and lets out a chuckle when Ava makes a face at it. “And I know, but it’s also for that very reason that his children are constantly being hunted by all his enemies. Few of them survive. People say that Bea was very young, wounded, and all alone when she stumbled into the camp. And now she’s still alone despite being surrounded by so many people.”

She looks at the girl, at Beatrice, one more time. She’s twirling a mix of leaves flower petals now, twirling them up and up above her head. She closes her hand into a fist and Ava watches with rapt attention as the leaves and petals stop, seemingly suspended in time and in the air. Then Beatrice opens her hands, and the leaves and petals fall like confetti all around her. 

Beatrice smiles at this, waits for all the leaves and petals to hit the ground, before she stands up and walks back inside the looming cabin doors. Ava can’t help but think how beautiful she looked.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like, to still be alone even with so many people.” Camila lets out a sigh before starting to walk away, to continue their tour, Ava guesses. 

I can, Ava thinks to herself. 

She moves to follow Camila, but her mind stays on Beatrice, stays on the memory of her smile, small yet soft and beautiful— so, so beautiful. 

\- - -

Ava is being led by Camila to the weaponry when she sees another familiar face. 

“Oh! Hey! Badass! Hey!” Ava calls out excitedly. 

Several people turn their heads at Ava’s call but not the one she’s calling for. So, Ava walks faster and calls again, “Hey! Badass with the shotguns!”

This time the person she is calling for turns and Ava is met with a smirk. “Oh, hey, new girl.”

“Hey!” Ava greets excitedly. She’s starting to get overwhelmed with all the new things being thrown at her, so she is immensely grateful for this meeting. 

“Ava, this is Mary,” Camila asks when she reaches them, “she’s the other person who brought you here.”

Ava nods, extending her hand towards Mary and grinning when Mary takes it. “It’s nice to know your name now. Thanks for the save earlier, although I’m pretty sure I had it under control.” 

“Yea right, we got to you just as some monsters were about to kick her ass.” Mary says with a laugh. “And if I remember correctly you fell face first into a pile of garbage right after we got there.”

“Psh… well that’s not the way I remember it at all. Are you sure you didn’t get hit in the head by one of those things? Maybe you were the one who fell into garbage.” Ava says as she adds looks to Camila who is biting her lip trying to hold back a laugh.

“You still have a candy wrapper in your hair.” Mary says with a smirk. 

They both burst out laughing as Ava yells, “WHAT?!” and runs her hands through her hair trying to find the wrapper.

“I’m just messing with you new girl.” Mary says while her and Camila try to reign in their laughter.

“Oh…whatever,” Ava mumbles, even though she feels a smile tugging at her lips. “Anyways, who is your god mama or god papa? And ohhh, weapons, nice, can I try?” She reaches for a crossbow, but Mary swats her hand away.  
“Easy, there kid.” Mary huffs with chuckles at her slight frown, “To answer your first question, my pops is Ares, the god of war.”  
“Ohhh, so you are a scary badass.” Ava says as she wiggles her eyebrows and puts on a grin.  
Mary rolls her eyes and says with a grin, “Yeah so you better watch out. And for your next question, the answer is nope. No handling of deadly weapons until we assess what you’ll be good at. And this,” Mary takes the crossbow and hands it to Camila, “is Camila’s to play with, not you.”

Ava raises an eyebrow. Camila and a crossbow? So, it was a crossbow that she had seen earlier. It’s a weird sight for her, it reminds her of a teddy bear with a crossbow. “Oh? Is she any good with it?”

Mary lets out a chuckle as she grabs a shotgun and slings an arm around Ava. “Oh, this will be fun.”

Turns out, Camila is a badass with a crossbow. 

Ava gapes the entire time as Mary and Camila unload all their bullets and arrows respectively. They hit the target perfectly at all times and do not miss even a single shot.

“What the actual fuck?” Ava gasps out. 

“She’s a daughter of Apollo,” Mary says as she nods her head towards Camila and grins proudly, “People like to underestimate them because they are all bright and kind and soft and musically inclined and shit. Well, most of them are. But yeah, they see the brightness and the music and tend to forget about the shooting part. All of Apollo’s children are perfect shots. Arrows, bullets, balls— you name it, as long as it involves shooting, then they can do it perfectly.”

“But the brightness and music parts are all true, too.” Camila adds.  
“And all children of Ares are good with weapons. What kind of children of the god of war would we be if we couldn’t handle different weapons?” Mary says with a casual shrug.  
“Wow, that is just so cool.” Ava grins excitedly. “Come on then, teach me!”

\- - -

Okay, so maybe she’s not really that good when it comes to shooting stuff. She almost took out one of the other campers when she tried out Camila’s crossbow and after a few more mishaps with the guns, Mary decided they should just go for snacks. 

Ava is in the middle of telling Mary a story about one of the attacks that happened to her when a shadow looms over her. Ava stops speaking and she looks up to see a tall girl with hella sharp cheek bones looking at her. 

“So, this is the new girl, huh?”

It’s Mary who answers. “Yep. Curious about her?” Mary asks.

The girl’s face twists in response. “Why would I be curious about the new girl?”

“Um, okay, new girl has a name, okay?” Ava pipes up, glancing back and forth from Mary and the tall girl. She doesn’t like it when people talk about her instead of to her. It happened a lot in the orphanage with the nuns and she hates it. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here.” She says with a glare. 

The tall girl smirks, looking pleased at getting a reaction out of Ava. “I’m Lilith, daughter of Athena. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.”

“Uh, Ava, and thanks.”

“Oh? Your god parent hasn’t claimed you yet?” Lilith asks with a raised eyebrow. Ava shakes her head at the question. Lilith hums thoughtfully, and she opens her mouth to say something but gets cut off with Camila’s arrival. 

“I got us chips!” Camila announces, waving two bags of potato chips happily. She sees Lilith and she beams at the taller girl. “Oh, hey, Lilith! What are you doing here?”

Lilith smiles but shifts somewhat awkwardly. This catches Ava’s attention, and she raises an eyebrow as she looks between Lilith and Camila. “Um, on my way to Mother Superion for some briefing.” 

“Oh, come join us while you wait then. You can sit here,” Camila says as she pats the space next to her. 

A faint blush crosses Lilith’s face and she doesn’t answer. Mary lets out a snort and Ava slowly smiles as she takes in what’s happening. “Ohh, this is interesting.”

Camila, seemingly oblivious to whatever else is happening around them, looks up at Lilith from her seat with a small frown, “You don’t want to?”

The blush on Lilith’s face darkens and she shakes her head at Camila quickly. “N-Not that I don’t want to! It’s just— Oh, Beatrice! Beatrice is here.”

Ava’s ears perk at the announcement and she whips her head to the direction Lilith gestured to. True enough, she sees Beatrice walking towards them. 

“Hey, Bea.” Mary greets once Beatrice is close enough. 

Beatrice stops beside Lilith and she smiles at them. A different smile from earlier but still a very beautiful smile, Ava notes to herself. 

“Hello, how are you today?” Beatrice greets back, she nods at both Mary and Camila before settling her eyes on Ava. 

Ava decides to seize the opportunity. She smiles at Beatrice in what she hopes is her cute and charming one, “Hello! I’m Ava Silva!”

Beatrice smiles back. “Hello, Ava. My name is Beatrice.” She holds out her hand and Ava takes it. 

The first thing that Ava notices is that unlike all the other people she has met so far, Beatrice did not say whose daughter she is. Ava doesn’t really know why, and she files it away somewhere for later. The second thing she notices is that Beatrice’s hand is soft and warm in her hold. She shakes it several times, more times than is completely normal based on the weird look that Lilith throws her way. Ava meets Beatrice’s eyes and sees Beatrice’s eyebrows rise a little despite the kind smile still plastered on her face and Ava feels her face start to burn. Oh shit. 

“Uh, nice to meet you! As you can probably see by my very enthusiastic and long handshake,” Ava rambles and her embarrassed expression turns into a horrified one when she takes notice that her hand is still shaking Beatrice’s. “—which is still ongoing and that is just weird, so I am just gonna let go of this now, okay, there you go, yep.”

She drops Beatrice’s hand the same time she pops the last syllable of her shameful ramblings. She sees Mary shaking with laughter from her peripheral vision and Ava inwardly curses herself, praying that someone shoots her right now. Surely being this stupid is an actual crime somewhere. 

And Beatrice, gods bless her soul, does not comment on the rambling—for which Ava is immensely grateful for. 

“Nice to meet you too, Ava.” Beatrice simply answers with a small laugh. She turns to Lilith, “Should we go? Mother Superion is waiting for us.”

Lilith nods silently and starts walking away without saying anything. Beatrice gives the group a small wave before following Lilith and Ava watches the two go, mostly Beatrice, before sighing and letting her head hit the table. 

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” She groans into the wood and she hears Mary and Camila laugh at her. 

“Okay, now that is interesting. “Mary chuckles, and Ava rolls her eyes at the irony of Mary using Ava’s earlier observations about Lilith and Camila. 

\- - -

Ava can’t sleep. 

The Hermes cabin is nice, everyone is nice enough and she had fun talking to the lot of them, but Ava can’t shake off the feeling that she does not belong in their cabin. Not to mention the fact that it’s rather crowded, so many bunk beds and sleeping cots, and that reminds Ava too much of her past, so she decided to just sneak out in the middle of the night, taking care not to step on any of the Hermes kids. 

She walks towards the beach and treads along the shore. She’s always found the sounds of the sea very calming. She doesn’t like being in the water, mainly because she doesn’t know how to swim, but she likes seeing it, and hearing it. She likes calming sounds. 

She’s almost to the other end of the beach when she sees a figure in the distance. She squints but it’s a bit too dark to see the face of the person. Ava takes several steps closer, slow and cautious. But then the head turns and Ava freezes. 

Beatrice. 

“Yes?”

Ava jumps in surprise. Shit, did I say her name out loud? The expectant look on Beatrice’s face answers her question. 

“Uh, hey. What’s up?” Ava asks sheepishly. 

Beatrice shrugs. “Nothing much. How about you?”

“Can’t sleep.” Ava answers and she gestures towards Beatrice. “Um, may I?”

Beatrice nods, “Of course.”

Ava walks closer and takes a seat on the sand next to Beatrice. She leaves a respectable distance between them and smiles at Beatrice. “How about you? What are you doing here at this time?”

“Can’t sleep.” Beatrice echoes her answer from earlier and it makes Ava chuckle.

“Glad to know it’s not just me then.” Ava says as she looks out into the sea, watching the waves crash from the distance. 

Beatrice tilts her head at Ava. “Not having a good time with the Hermes people?”

Ava laughs as she recalls them and shakes her head. “No, they’re great, really. They’re fun and very welcoming. It’s just that… Well, I don’t think I’m a child of Hermes.” Ava admits with a shrug. “They’re just… different. Or well, that’s not quite right, it’s because I’m different. Yeah, that’s it.”

Beatrice nods but doesn’t say anything for a while. They stay silent for a while. Not an awkward silence, Ava notes gratefully, just comfortable silence. They spend several more minutes with just the sound of the waves between them, until Ava feels Beatrice shift beside her. 

“I know how that feels,” Beatrice begins, glancing at Ava. “Being different from the people around you.”

“Yeah?” Ava raises an eyebrow. “Is it the being the only child of Zeus thing?”

Beatrice blinks and takes a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Yes, among other things. But yes, that also.”

Ava nods. She doesn’t really know how to answer that, so she just looks at Beatrice and she briefly lets her eyes wander along Beatrice’s form, taking note of her varsity shorts and the simple camp shirt she’s wearing under her black unzipped jacket. She looks comfortable, Ava thinks, and then she notices the big bruise on Beatrice’s leg, just above her calf. 

“Hey, what happened to your leg?” 

Beatrice looks at where Ava is looking, and she moves her leg to see it more clearly. “Oh this? Training earlier was a bit intense. Going against the Ares kids always is.” 

“That looks painful.” 

Beatrice shrugs. “It’ll heal sooner or later.”

At this, Ava perks up. She turns so she’s facing Beatrice fully. “Hey, want to see something cool?”

The corner of Beatrice’s lips tug up. “Okay, sure?” She says unsurely. 

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fine, really!” Ava laughs upon seeing Beatrice’s expression. “Give me your leg.”

“My leg?” 

“Just, you know—” Ava mimes stretching out her leg in front of her. “Do this, towards me. So that I can see your bruise more clearly.” She adds as an explanation. 

Beatrice still looks unsure but also curious, so she shifts and does as Ava demonstrated for her to do so. Ava grins in approval and Beatrice raises an eyebrow. “What are you up to, Ava Silva?”

A surprising jolt of pleasure hits Ava at the sound of her name coming out of Beatrice’s mouth and she suppresses the shiver. Her name has never sounded that good before.

“Like I said,” Ava says with a small cough to clear her throat. “I am going to show you something really cool.”

“Alright.” 

“Can I?” Ava gestures to Beatrice’s leg. 

Beatrice nods and Ava lifts her hands and hovers them over the bruise, close to the skin but not really touching it. “Okay, so I figured this out when I was young, and I’ve tried it several times already since. So here goes, try not to move, okay? It might get a bit chilly.” Ava glances at Beatrice, waits for a nod, and she takes a deep breath. 

Like all the other times she’s done this, Ava closes her eyes for a bit to concentrate and focuses on Beatrice’s bruise. She feels her hands be engulfed in cold air and when she opens her eyes, she sees the mix of purple and black shadow form around her hands. She manipulates the shadows to engulf the injured part of Beatrice’s leg. 

Beatrice lets out a soft gasp. “Ava…”

Ava doesn’t answer, fully focused on her task, and after several more seconds, she calls the shadows back to her hand. When she closes her hands into fists, the shadows evaporate completely. She moves her hands and looks at the now smooth and flawless skin of Beatrice’s leg.

Ava smiles. “There, all healed now.”

Beatrice is looking at her with slightly wide eyes, “Ava, that’s…”

Ava shifts uncomfortably and she pulls her hands back. Not everyone has reacted well to what she can do, she knows it’s weird and very unusual, and Ava suddenly finds herself fearing that Beatrice might be one of those people. 

Ava looks away from Beatrice and she moves to wrap her arms around her legs, curling in on herself. “Weird? Freaky? Scary?”

Beatrice lets out what Ava thinks might be a soft scoff. “Amazing, actually.”

Oh. Ava straightens at the answer and looks at Beatrice in surprise. Beatrice is already looking at her with kind eyes and a small smile. “What? You really think so?” Ava stammers. 

Beatrice nods, “It is cool. Thank you for healing my bruise.”

Ava grins excitedly. “N-No problem! You can come to me anytime!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Beatrice says softly. 

Ava just nods and smiles, leaning her head on her knees and staring at Beatrice for a while before turning her gaze back to the ocean. She doesn’t want to stare too much and make Beatrice uncomfortable. Not when they’re in this space they are in right now. Not when Ava thinks they might just be having a moment. She doesn’t want to be presumptuous, but a girl can dream, right? And if she wants to dream of having a moment with a stunning demigod who she may or may not be quickly developing an intense crush on then dammit, she will. 

Several minutes of silence pass them by before Beatrice speaks up. “Ava, do you know who your immortal parent is?”

Beatrice’s voice is cautious and slow, like she’s testing the waters and she’s not sure if she wants to know what’s in it. 

It makes Ava nervous.

“Um, not really. Is that… Is that a bad thing? Camila told me that it’s not that unusual here.”

Beatrice shakes her head quickly. “Oh, no. Not a bad thing. And yes, Camila is right. It’s not that big of a deal. It just takes some time for some of the gods and goddesses to claim their children.”

Ava sighs. “Yeah, well, if my immortal god dad doesn’t claim me then that just reinforces something I already know.” 

“Which is?”

“That I’m unwanted. Weak, and a burden on those around me” She shrugs at it, it’s something she is used to thinking about herself. Something that the orphanage nuns drilled into her for several years. She’s grown numb to it now and it’s better when she says it first before other people get the chance to do so. 

“You think you’re weak?” 

Beatrice asks the question in a tone that suggests that the idea is very silly, like it’s the most ridiculous thing Beatrice has ever heard. And it makes Ava stop because she doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“You are anything but weak, Ava.” Beatrice says reverently, eyes trained solely on Ava.

“Considering who your father might be, you are in no way weak, you can trust me on that.” And then she stands up, takes gentle care in brushing away the sand on her shorts before turning around to walk away. 

Ava turns to Beatrice’s retreating figure and calls out, “You know who my father is?”

“Just a hunch, and oh,” Beatrice stops after a few steps. She turns around to face Ava again. “Choose who you show your ability to carefully, okay? Goodnight, Ava.”

Beatrice offers another smile before continuing on her path and Ava is left by herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks, like I said all of the credit for the first like 5 chapters of this fic should go to Baejoo. I am just taking what they had, changing it a bit, and continuing that. if you just want to not read the first 5 chapters and pick up where i take it it will probably happen around chapter 6. Ill repeat this again, all of the credit for the first 5 chapters should go to Baejoo.   
> Anywho's love y'all and i hope you enjoy some of the changes i have made. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava gets claimed while playing capture the flag.

Ava doesn’t know what to think about her encounter with Beatrice. 

She wants to know what Beatrice means when she says she has a hunch about who Ava’s father might be. She’s seen Beatrice a couple of times around camp since then, but she doesn’t get the opportunity to approach her. Somehow, Beatrice is always either locked in her cabin or running around the camp, helping around or doing things for Mother Superion. It’s quite difficult to catch her. 

“Hey, uh, what do you know about Beatrice?” Ava asks Lilith one day during Greek lessons. 

Lilith barely spares her a glance, attention fully on the book she’s reading. “Why?”

“Just, uh, curious.” Ava supplies casually. 

Lilith scoffs. “By that you mean crushing?”

Ava glares at Lilith even as her face flushes. “Like what you with Camila?”

This time, Lilith faces her with sharp eyes, “Shut it, Ava.”

“Yeah, well, I was asking a proper question!” Ava complains. “You’re the one who started it.”

“Childish,” Lilith mutters as she closed her book and settled it down beside her. “You’re supposed to be learning your Greek.”

“I know, but come on, Lilith. Just answer my questions for a bit then it’s back to this homework.” Ava says. 

“Fine,” Lilith concedes with a sigh. “Beatrice is Beatrice.” She says with a shrug. “We pretty much grew up together, so I know her quite well. What exactly do you want to know about her?”

Aba shrugs back, “She seems well-liked by almost everyone. So why is it that she’s usually off on her own?”

At this, Lilith stops for a moment and looks at Ava intensely, like she’s judging Ava, trying to figure out what Ava is thinking. Ava is almost scared that Lilith might actually be able to do just that. 

“It’s just that we talked, okay? We talked the other day, and it was nice, and she was nice so I’m just… I’m just wondering about her, that’s all.” Ava rambles on, slightly pressured by the way Lilith seemed to be dissecting her. 

Lilith continues on staring. A minute passes before Lilith opens her mouth again. 

“Look,” She begins, “Beatrice is… complex, okay? She’s as powerful as powerful gets, only rivaled probably by the few existing children of other Big three gods. And even then, Beatrice is probably more powerful than them. With such power and heritage comes a lot of talk. People talk about her. How she only relies on Zeus’ blessing and that she doesn’t really have any remarkable abilities of her own. About how Beatrice gets by easily with the Zeus card. And her mother, her mortal mother, is a terrible person, okay? There are all these rumors about how she treated Beatrice badly.”

Ava straightens at this, and she feels immediate anger. “Did she—”

“No, no.” Lilith answers quickly. “You know how we are. Hitting us is difficult, what with the ADHD and all. That wouldn’t have worked on Beatrice.”

“Okay?”

“The talk was about how the mom just can’t accept that Beatrice is different. You know for most of us, the world gives us a hard time but our mortal parents— they’re the ones who accept us, they’re the ones who make us feel like we’re worth something despite all our flaws.”

“Beatrice didn’t have that. No one accepted her. Her mom, the people around her back then, they all tried to force her into something she’s not. They taught her that she’s an... abomination. That she’s ugly.” Lilith lets out what sounds like a sad sigh as she shakes her head. “No one saw Beatrice. All they do is talk about her, say all these things about her. And that’s just… It could take a toll on people. And it took a toll on Beatrice. She’s guarded now, cold, a bit distant.”

Lilith shrugs after her long explanation. She glances at Ava once before she picks up her book again. “Like I said, Beatrice is Beatrice. She’s overly competent, very leader-y,” Lilith summarizes with a sassy eyeroll, “well-liked by people and the absolute center of all the talks. All basic things for Zeus’ golden child. But even the golden girl has her own baggage. People just tend to forget that.”

“Oh, well, that’s…” Ava starts but fails to come up with anything else. It was a lot. Lilith unloaded so much and as of now Ava doesn’t know what to do with all of that information. All she knows is that ‘guarded, cold, and distant’ sounds nothing like the Beatrice she knows. 

“Back to your work once you’re done swooning and drooling. Those Greek phrases aren’t gonna translate themselves.”

Ava throws Lilith a glare before doing as she’s told. 

\- - -

The week goes by and by the time Friday rolls in, the entire camp is buzzing with excitement. Ava stands on the side with the other campers as they all wait for Mother Superion to announce the teams. 

“Alright, let’s settle down now. I am here to present the teams to all of you.” Mother Superion says sternly. 

The voices die down instantly, and Mother Superion looks at the list in her hands. “Okay, for the red team, we have the following cabins: Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Demeter, Hermes!”

Loud claps echo in the campsite and the voices start talking excitedly over one another. Camila claps her hands and turns to Ava and Mary with a huge grin. “How lucky are we? We got both Beatrice and Lilith on our team!”

“Yeah, that lineup is badass, hard to beat, but I’m sure we'll make it look easy” Mary says with a smug grin. 

“For the blue team, we have Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Dionysus, and Ares!”

At the announcement of the last cabin, the rest of the campers all cheer loudly, their feet stomping on the ground. Ava could feel the excitement thumping in her bones, and she followed the rest of the red team to strategize. 

Strategy meeting is… interesting, to say the least. 

Ava watches with growing interest as Lilith and Beatrice stand on opposing ends of the table that’s holding the map of the forest. The two have been arguing back forth for almost an hour now trying to figure out which of them has the better strategy. 

“Are they always so… intense?” Ava asks absentmindedly. Right now, Beatrice is gesturing at the map and explaining something to Lilith, her voice calm but obviously tense, and Ava can’t seem to look anywhere else. 

“Pretty much.” Camila says with a shrug as she turns back to the arrows she is inspecting.

“I didn’t think Beatrice is capable of speaking so intensely.”

“They clash sometimes,” Camila offers. “As a daughter of Athena, Lilith is naturally gifted when it comes to strategizing and coming up with battle plans. She can be stubborn and hard and intimidating and even a bit judgmental at first but… She comes around once you’ve proven yourself. She’s some sort of a genius, really, when it comes to things like this.”

Ava nods as she briefly looks at Lilith and takes in how she keeps on rolling her eyes at Beatrice and arguing back, her voice sharp and cutting. She can totally see what Camila is saying about Lilith,

“And Beatrice?” Ava asks. 

“Beatrice is Zeus’ daughter.” Camila states. “The god of the gods, the king of Olympus.”

Ava frowns, fully facing Camila. “And what about it? That isn’t the only reason for why she is the way she is, she’s more than her father.” She snaps a little too harshly and instantly regrets it when she sees the frown on Camila’s face, but she doesn’t like what those words insinuate and imply. 

“Oh no I didn’t mean it like that.” Camila responds, “I’m just saying that Beatrice is Zeus’s only existing daughter that we know of, and an extreme amount of pressure comes with that territory.” She says with a sad sigh. “I don’t know what I would do with that amount of pressure placed on my shoulders. But Bea makes it look like she is doing it with grace and ease. She is a natural leader. Everyone follows her. I mean you should see how everyone stops to listen when Beatrice is talking. You’d think she’s from the Aphrodite cabin and could charmspeak.”

“Well, she could pass as a member of Aphrodite, that’s for sure.” Ava mutters distractedly.

At this Camila giggles and says, “Looks like someone has a bit of a crush on Bea.”

“Shut up.” Ava says with slight panic and nudges Camila, afraid that Beatrice might hear them.

Camila just shakes her head and giggles before standing up. “Come on, let’s go help those two reach an agreement before Beatrice pops a vein and decides to strike Lilith down with a lightning bolt.”

“Can she actually do that?” Ava whispers to Camila in awe. 

Camila nods. “Yep, so it’s not a wise idea to anger Beatrice.”

Ava lets out a dreamy sigh, “Gods, help me.”

\- - -

Ava gets claimed while playing Capture the Flag. 

More accurately, it happens after the game has been won by Beatrice’s team already. The strategy was perfect, and everything went exactly as Lilith and Beatrice planned. They were in the middle of celebrating their win when one of the campers from the blue team shoved Beatrice from behind. 

Beatrice stumbles into Camila, who stumbles into Lilith. Thankfully, Lilith was able to catch Camila and stop the domino effect. 

“Crimson.” Lilith hisses with a glare. 

“Move it, losers.” The girl sneers at Lilith. Ava recognizes it as Crimson from the Ares cabin, someone Camila told her to steer clear from during their tour. 

“Oh, that’s rich. Especially since I seem to remember Beatrice crossing the river with your stupid blue flag.” Lilith says back with a proud look on her face. 

Mary after seeing the commotion caused by her half-sister, interjects, “Back of Crimson they won fair and square, don’t be a sore loser.”

“Stay out of this Mary. And it’s not as if a stupid game proves anything.” At this, Crimson turns to Beatrice again and pushes her on the shoulder. “Maybe we should have a real go this time, golden girl.”

Beatrice stumbles back for a bit again and this time Ava moves to her side and steadies her with a hand on the arm. Beatrice shoots her an appreciative glance before looking back at Crimson. 

Mary moves to grab Crimson and pull her away, but Beatrice puts her hand up to stop her. “I’d rather not, Crimson. This is not the time nor the place to do this.” Beatrice says calmly but with an edge to her voice. 

For a moment, it seemed as if the conversation was finished, and so everyone turned back to their mini celebration. It’s only by pure luck that Ava looked back to stick her tongue out at Crimson just in time to see Crimson raising her weapon at Beatrice. 

“Hey, what the fuck?!” Ava acts on instinct and pushes Beatrice behind her. She raises a hand to block her face and shuts her eyes, preparing for the blow of the weapon to hit her. 

But nothing comes and Ava could vaguely hear the sound of several gasps and murmurs. She opens her eyes and sees what appears to be a shield of darkness hovering where her hand is stretched out, completely blocking Crimson’s weapon. 

Crimson gapes for a second before narrowing her eyes. “What the hell?” She growls out before pulling back to hit Ava again. 

Ava jumps out of the way and waves her hand at Crimson, watching with utter amazement as a bolt of darkness shoots out from her hand to hit Crimson, making her fly back on impact. 

There’s a moment of deafening silence, only interrupted by the sudden quiet gasps of several people and Ava flushes, suddenly feeling guilty and conscious of what she just did, fearing that even in this place, with all the gods, goddesses, and demigods, Ava is still the freak. 

“Shit. L-Look, she was going to attack Beatrice!” Ava tries to defend herself, slowly standing up with her hands raised in front of her. From between the trees, she sees Mother Superion arrive, walking slowly and staring at her with an expression Ava can’t really understand. “I’m sorry, Mother Superion. I-I didn’t actually mean to—”

“Ava,” Beatrice breathes out, and when Ava looks at her, she notices for the first time that Beatrice isn’t looking at her. In fact, none of the campers are looking at her directly. Instead, all eyes are trained above her head. 

Ava looks up and sees a faint hologram image of a helm shrouded in the familiar swirls of purple and black wisps of shadow. Ava gapes, not knowing what this means, not knowing what any of this means for her. 

Her attention only gets pulled back into the present when she catches sight of movement. She turns and sees Beatrice kneel before her. The sight makes Ava inhale sharply, her heart hammering against her chest at the way Beatrice is looking at her, a mix of amazement and reverence. 

It takes her a moment, too occupied with staring at Beatrice, to see all the other campers following Beatrice’s example, dropping to their knees and kneeling before Ava. She lets her eyes sweep over them, at the way her friends are looking at her with smiles and grins, at the way the Ares cabin are frowning and glaring even as they’re kneeling, and at the way Mother Superion meets her gaze head-on, holding it for a few seconds, before nodding at her.

“Hades,” Mother Superion begins. “Ruler of the Underworld, the dead, and riches. Hail, Ava Silva, daughter of Hades, daughter of the Underworld.”

Ava’s mouth drops open. What the actual fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be purely Avatrice...yay! I will post as soon as i can


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Ava moves to Cabin #13. 

Her friends all come by the Hermes cabin to help her move, even Lilith gets roped in by Camila, but Ava knows it’s just their attempt to comfort her rather than help her. After all, she doesn’t really have other things aside from her single duffel bag and she’s quite sure she can carry that on her own. But for once it’s nice to have friends who seem to like her, not just tolerate her, and not to mention Beatrice also came by and that lifts Ava’s spirits immensely. 

The cabin is gloomy and scary thanks to the Greek fire torches and skulls hanging around. Ava tries her best to make it homey, but she gives up after a few days. Life at camp is pretty much the same except for the looks that Ava is now getting. It’s different from the looks she used to get. Before the looks were filled with either curiosity or judgement. Now, most campers look at her warily and fearfully with the smallest hint of astonishment.

Ava honestly can’t decide which one she prefers. 

Most nights Ava still finds herself unable to sleep. 

One night, she goes to the beach again. This time she only goes to the area near her cabin. It’s not that far of a walk and soon enough Ava finds herself settled on the sand. The night is quiet and cool, and it almost feels nice to be there on the beach. Ava can almost pretend that she’s on a vacation, maybe somewhere in Spain instead of the weird summer camp filled with half-bloods. It must be nice, Ava thinks, to be free in Spain to be anywhere but here. 

“Hi.”

Ava turns her head at the voice and a smile pulls at her lips unconsciously. Beatrice is standing a several feet away, this time she’s wearing the tacky orange camp shirt under her black jacket, her hair tied in a simple bun. 

She looks beautiful.

“Hello.” Ava says softly. 

“Let me guess,” Beatrice begins as she walks closer and takes a seat next to Ava. “Can’t sleep again?”

Ava nods. “You too?”

Beatrice shrugs. “I actually came to check on you.”

Ava feels a flutter in her chest, and she gapes at Beatrice. “Me? You came to check on me?”

“Is that so surprising?” Beatrice questions. 

“N-no. It’s just… Why?”

“I know how it feels,” Beatrice says, shooting Ava’s cabin a glance. “Being all alone in a big and ominous cabin.”

Right. Ava remembers. Beatrice, Zeus’ only child, and now Ava, Hades’ only child. “Okay, I have a question.”

Beatrice gestures for her to continue and Ava does. “Since both our dads are part of the big three or whatever, I need to know: Is your cabin as obnoxious as mine?”

Beatrice laughs. “Perhaps more. Mine is pure white and has Greek columns.”

“Well, mine has skeleton bones and Greek fire torches.” Ava challenges. 

“Mine has perpetual cloudy skies and thunderbolts inside.”

“Mine is like, super dark and windowless, and has a shrine of skulls.” 

“Mine has a ten-foot-tall gigantic statue of Zeus in the middle.”

Ava lifts an eyebrow. “Well, okay then. You win.”

Beatrice giggles, and it distracts Ava momentarily because it sounds so good. She makes a mental note to come up with more ways to make Beatrice giggle like that. 

“I know it’s difficult.” Beatrice says when the laughter dies down, “The stares, the whispering behind your back, sometimes even in front of you, the taunting of the other people.”

“Yeah? Did you experience the same?”

Beatrice nods as her hands start drawing patterns on the sand. “I did, and I’m the daughter of Zeus. I’m the daughter of the king of Olympus and I experienced those things.” Beatrice pauses, before looking at Ava with a soft gaze. “You’re the daughter of Hades, the king of the Underworld. I imagine people have a lot more to say about that.”

Ava nods, sighing softly. “Yeah, they do.”

“I understand what you’re going through. And I want you to know that you’re not alone, Ava. Even if it feels like it sometimes, you’re not alone.” Beatrice says softly and it makes Ava smile, makes her feel a bit better, and Beatrice doesn’t seem to be done yet. 

“Your friends are here for you,” Beatrice begins before pausing for a few seconds, staring at Ava with keen interest and something else Ava can’t quite place. Beatrice takes a deep breath, pauses again, as if what she’s going to say next is something that takes guts to do so, before continuing, “I am here for you, Ava.”

Now that makes Ava feel a whole lot better. For the first time since she’s discovered who her father is, Ava has something to be thankful for. She now has this connection with Beatrice and thinking about it brings butterflies to her stomach. 

“Thank you.” Ava breathes out.

“Anytime.” Beatrice smiles.

“Are you sure about that?” Ava teases, leaning her head on her knees and looking up at Beatrice, liking the way Beatrice’s eyes widen slightly at it. “I might just take you up on that. Maybe make this late-night beach meet-up a regular thing.”

A faint blush spreads across Beatrice’s face and Ava doesn’t stop the triumphant grin that comes. She likes having this effect on Beatrice— likes the way Beatrice reacts to her. She opens her mouth to tease Beatrice some more, but she gets cut off. 

“I’d like that.” It’s said in just above a whisper, but it sounded clear to Ava’s ears. 

She stares at Beatrice for a while, wide-eyed and mouth agape. She knows she probably looks stupid, like an owl probably— a silly-looking, blushing little owl. Gods, pull yourself together, Ava. 

Ava straightens and faces Beatrice excitedly. “Y-yes! Me also, I mean, me too would like that— I mean I too would like that. Goddamn it.” The last part is whispered with aggravation, mostly to herself on account of her being a bumbling idiot in front of the girls she is heavily crushing on. 

Ava sees Beatrice bite her lip in an attempt to stifle a laugh and she knows then that Beatrice definitely heard her. 

“Please pretend that that did not just happen. I am begging you, Big three child to Big three child.” Ava pleads, burying her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. 

“Alright,” Beatrice concedes in a gleeful voice, her eyes dancing with mirth. “Big three child to big three child and all.”

They stay silent for a while, Beatrice looking at the waves and Ava looking at Beatrice. She thinks about how she didn’t expect any of this from Beatrice, not the companionship and empathy. She thinks about all the things she has heard from other campers about Beatrice. She thinks about how they couldn't be more wrong.

She thinks about how maybe she's the only one who Beatrice has shown this side of her to, and Ava finds herself unable to control the smile on her face at that thought. 

Ava wakes up from her trance when she feels Beatrice lays a hand on her arm. “Ava.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re staring,” Beatrice notes, looking at Ava curiously.

“You’re beautiful.”

Beatrice turns red instantly and looks away, and it’s only then that Ava realizes what she just said. She wasn’t supposed to say it out loud, she was just thinking about it, like how she always does when she catches sight of Beatrice around the camp, but then it just slipped out and now Ava is turning just as red as Beatrice. 

“Uh, I-I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” Ava says in her own embarrassed tone, “I, uh, didn’t mean to say that out loud cause I don’t want you to think that I’m creepy or anything but…But, um, it’s true. You are beautiful, Beatrice.” Ava offers, flashing Beatrice a small but sincere smile. “I do mean it. A hundred percent.”

“Thank you.” Beatrice whispers with a shy but happy smile. 

A beat of silence passes them before Beatrice speaks again. “It’s late, we should go back.”

Ava nods thoughtfully, not really wanting to end their time together but also feeling tired already. They both stand up and brush the sand off of their clothes. Beatrice smiles at Ava and makes a move to turn away but Ava catches her hand to stop her. 

Ava feels a light jolt of static electricity and sees the yellow and blue static sparks actually shoot up her arm. “Wha—”

Beatrice looks at her wide-eyed and apologetic. “T-That was me! Sorry, it happens sometimes when I get surprised.”

“Oh, okay, don’t worry, it’s fine” Ava assures Beatrice, wanting to get rid of the guilt the other girl’s face. She doesn’t let go of Beatrice’s hand, even when she feels her try to let go. 

Instead, Ava smiles cheekily, “It was just a bit of a shock.” 

Beatrice’s apologetic look is replaced by one of mild amusement as she scrunches her face at Ava. “That was bad.” Beatrice laughs out. 

“Hey, it was funny and clever!” Ava pouts, “And here I was about to offer to walk you to your cabin and you’re making fun of me!”

Beatrice laughs a bit more and shakes her head, forcing her laughter to die down slowly. “Okay, I’m stopping now.” Then Ava’s words catch up to her. Beatrice looks at Ava with some hint of hesitation. “You want to walk me to my cabin? But yours is close already.”

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine. But only if it's okay with you, of course.” Ava answers.

The hesitation dissipates and Beatrice smiles and nods. “Okay, that would be nice.”

“Lead the way then.” Ava gestures, smiling back charmingly at Beatrice. Beatrice starts walking and Ava feels a gentle tug on her hand that makes her automatically follow. She looks at their still locked hands and feels another jolt of electricity run up and down her spine. She knows it’s not exactly from Beatrice this time, but she also knows that it is caused by the fact that Beatrice’s hand is holding hers. Ava tries to fight off the silly grin trying to make its way to her face, but she knows it’s a losing battle. 

They make light conversation during the short walk as Ava asks questions about the campers and the camp in general which Beatrice all answers patiently. They reach the front of the Zeus Cabin and Ava follows Beatrice until the marble steps and they stop by the doorway. 

“Hey, um...” Ava starts, glancing from their joined hands to Beatrice’s face. “I know that people here talk a lot, and they like to say a lot of shit about people… about you.”

“Oh…”

Beatrice’s hand goes slack in hers and Ava grips it tighter in response. “N-No, um, listen first. My point is that they say all these things about you but they’re wrong. They’re so wrong.” Ava takes in the look of wonder that's starting to appear on Beatrice’s face and she continues, “People say a lot about you, about your abilities, and your heritage. And, well, they say a lot about me, too. I know you’re nothing like how people paint you to be. I know because I’m nothing like what they say too. And I know because of this—” 

She gestures to the two of them with her free hand, her face going red, “This, um… ah, between us is…” Ava struggles for a bit not quite sure what this actually refers to and feeling slightly embarrassed at the way Beatrice is looking at her, her cheeks red and eyes filled with something Ava can’t quite comprehend right now. 

“Um, I see you, is my point.” Ava chooses to say instead, “I see you for who you are and not for what people say about you, or what people expect you to be. I see you, Beatrice. And I like what I’m seeing. And um, I am here for you too.” Ava ends, feeling conscious. “Just thought you should know that.”

A moment passes without Beatrice saying anything and Ava is starting to freak out internally, going over the things she just said to see if she said something weird, knowing herself, Ava knows that it’s not really far-fetched. Just as she’s about to freak out externally, she feels Beatrice tug gently at their hands and Ava freezes because what happens next happens in slow motion for her. 

Beatrice leans in and Ava gets assaulted by the fresh smell that is uniquely Beatrice’s, before she feels the soft press of Beatrice's lip on her cheek. Ava stares wide-eyed as Beatrice pulls away and gives her a bashful smile. 

“Thank you. Goodnight, Ava.” Beatrice whispers, before giving Ava’s hand one last squeeze and letting go, entering the Zeus Cabin and shutting the enormous marble doors behind her. 

Ava stands still, frozen in place. The kiss was light and soft and quick, but Ava could still feel Beatrice’s lips on her cheek, she could still smell Beatrice’s scent, and she could still feel the warmth of Beatrice’s hand. 

It takes a full minute more before Ava can turn around and start walking away with a happy skip in her steps. She could feel her cheeks starting to hurt with how wide her smile is. 

As she skips back to her cabin, Ava thinks she might actually just love being in Camp Half-Blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have decided that I will be updating every Tuesday. I've just started my spring semester of college so Im going to be really busy plus i also play college softball and our season is this semester so i will try my best to keep up with the updates but i apologize in advance if i dont post every week. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapters are going to be from Beatrice's pov. Hope you guys enjoy, see you next week!

Beatrice has always been different. 

She’s known about it since she was a child. She could never focus on anything for too long. The letters in her books keep on moving and she can’t seem to catch up to them. Her mom and her stepfather did their best— or what they thought was best for Beatrice— and hired all sorts of tutors, but all of them just say the same things each time. They’ll spend a few weeks with Beatrice before saying that Beatrice is brilliant, and smart, but restless and inattentive. They’ll say that Beatrice is always preoccupied with something else and that she seems to know how to read but refuses to do so properly, and then they’ll quit and leave. And Beatrice will get scolded and berated because that is not how someone from their family should act. 

Beatrice did her best, forced herself to sit down and not stand up from her study desk even though her limbs feel like they're burning from being forced to stay still. She stared at her books until her eyes started tearing up and her head started pounding. But it didn’t work. Not well enough, at the very least. 

So, her parents quit her too. 

They sent her to some Catholic boarding soon where the nuns are horrible and the other children even more so. She continues forcing herself to adapt, trying to fit in and to be normal. She forces and forces and forces herself, but nothing seems to be good enough. Accidents and trouble keep on following her. So, they leave her be after a while, choosing to silently tolerate her because her mom pours buckets and buckets of thousands of dollars as donation to the school. They ignore her for the most part but keep on talking about her still. Eventually, the nuns quit her too and the other students quit her too. 

It was only a matter of time before Beatrice quit them all. 

The opportunity presents itself when she was 11 and an older kid from boarding school (who claims to be a satyr, which makes Beatrice’s head spin) smuggles her out after she caused another accident during a thunderstorm. 

She is brought to Camp Half-Blood and Beatrice decides to start a new life. 

Things will be different this time, Beatrice thinks. 

\- - -

Things are different and Beatrice loves it. For about 1 whole week. 

Everything makes sense now— the ADHD, the dyslexia, the attacks, and the weird things she could do. Mother Superion talks to her, tells her she’s a demigod, and everything suddenly makes sense. For once, she’s around people who are just like her. For once, Beatrice fits in with her peers. For once, she belongs, and she is not different. 

Until the skies flashed with lightning and thunder echoed overhead. A bolt of lightning hits her and Beatrice glows for a few seconds and static electricity bounces all over her body. She gets claimed by Zeus and everyone kneels before her, looks at her with a mix of jealousy, fear, and admiration, and just like that— Beatrice is different again. 

Suddenly, she’s not just a regular demigod camper like everyone else. She’s a daughter of Zeus— the daughter of Zeus. The only one of her kind for over a quarter of a century. Or at least the only surviving one. She’s the daughter of the King of Olympus and this fact draws a line that separates Beatrice from others. People start putting her on some pedestal, start expecting big things from her, start treating her differently. 

She doesn’t understand it, she’s supposed to have found her place now. This is supposed to be the place she belongs in, the people she belongs to. It doesn’t make sense. Beatrice doesn’t understand why these changes are suddenly happening. 

“That’s because you are different, Beatrice.” Mother Superion tells her one afternoon, when Beatrice confides in her. Her tone is laced with finality, like there’s no space for argument in whatever she’s saying, but her eyes are kind as she looks at Beatrice. “You have a gift. It may not seem like one most day, but it is a gift—one you need to learn to hone and use properly. You are different, Beatrice. That is not necessarily a bad thing.”

It’s the only time they spoke of it, and Beatrice anchors herself on Mother Superion’s words. She learns, and trains, and hones her abilities so she can use them properly. And she tries her best to fit in, molds herself into how everyone says she should be and for the most part, Beatrice succeeds. 

It’s fine, everything’s fine. 

\- - -

Ava Silva is… unexpected. 

She is nothing like what anyone ever expected from a child of Hades. All of the camp records describe children of Hades as how one would expect typical children of the Underworld to be: loners, quiet, untrusting, and quite frankly, very emo. Ava is the complete opposite of all these things. She is loud, friendly, excitable, and just plain bright. Without knowledge of her abilities, no one would assume that Ava is a child of hades. 

It’s unexpected but quite a nice surprise. And somehow, Ava fits seamlessly in their little group. 

The relatively calm and quiet lunches the four of them used to have are now noisier and rowdier all thanks to Ava. She talks non-stop always telling stories about her experiences outside camp or asking questions here and there. It’s quite refreshing, Beatrice thinks, as she watches Camila hang on to every word from Ava and hears Mary mock and tease Ava every now and then. Even Lilith offers a sassy side comment just to ruffle Ava’s feathers which usually leads to the two of them arguing. 

They’re all getting along quite nicely, but Beatrice likes to think that she and Ava are just a little bit closer to each other.

They have been spending a lot of time together ever since that night on the beach— the memory of which Beatrice both holds so dearly and tries her hardest to suppress and file away. Thinking back to it, Beatrice has zero idea as to what possessed her to kiss Ava on the cheek. She gave it very little thought that time, driven mostly by the sudden warmth that spread all over her chest when Ava told her that she sees Beatrice. It has been unexpected, much like everything that is Ava-related, and they haven’t spoken of it again, something Beatrice is thankful for. 

“I hate this.” Ava groans from her position, leaning her back against one of the Greek columns of the Zeus Cabin. 

Beatrice glances at Ava and sees her frowning at the thick book on her lap. “Are you still studying Greek?” She asks.

Ava nods. “I’m thankful that the letters aren’t jumping around all over the page, but this is still so difficult and boring.” She looks up and pouts at Beatrice. “How are you good at this already?”

“I learned it when I was around 11. It’s easier to learn when you start at a young age.” Beatrice offers. 

Ava lets out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s probably easier to learn if Lilith is not your teacher. She’s relentless!”

Beatrice laughs at this, fully aware of how badly the two seem to clash whenever they have their lessons. She is relentless, but Lilith is also the best when it comes to Greek and teaching in the camp. You’ll benefit a lot learning from her.”

“I know but still,” Ava pouts at her. “She’s so mean sometimes. I really dread our lessons; I just want to ditch all the time.” Ava sighs again before glancing playfully at Beatrice, “Want to help me ditch tomorrow’s lesson?”

“She’ll hunt us both down for sure.” 

“Yeah, she probably will. I’ll just ditch on my own then, take my chances, you know?” Ava playfully shrugs before winking conspiratorially. “Don’t tell her though, okay? This can be our secret!”

“Sure, Ava.” Beatrice giggles out, finding it endlessly amusing how silly Ava could be. This is what Beatrice means when she says that Ava is not like a child of Hades. She can’t imagine Hades being this playful. 

“No, that’s not good enough! You have to promise!” Ava holds out her hand, pinky outstretched. 

“What’s that?” Beatrice asks cautiously as she eyes Ava’s finger suspiciously. 

Ava pauses for three solid seconds before she lets out an entirely exaggerated gasp. “What do you mean what’s this? It’s a pinky promise, the most sacred of all promises. You need to honor all promises, pinky promises more so because if you break a pinky promise then I get to cut off your finger.” Ava explains in a tone that’s too formal and academic sounding for a topic like this. 

“That’s a bit morbid.” Beatrice comments but quickly relents when Ava raises an eyebrow playfully. “Alright, alright,” Beatrice says with a quiet giggle. “I get it, I’ll pinky promise.”

“Okay, so come on now. Pinky promise me that you won’t rat me out to Lilith.” Ava urges, and follows up after a moment of thinking, “And that if Lilith somehow finds out then you won’t let her hurt me or maim me.”

Beatrice thinks promise or no promise, she won’t let anyone hurt Ava in any way at all, but it’s a bit weird to be thinking of something so serious such as that so she swallows the comment. Instead, she hooks her pinky around Ava’s and feels a slight shiver run down her spine when Ava tugs on their joined pinkies lightly. 

“This is our secret, okay? It’s a promise.” Ava says. 

It’s a pretty childish promise over a very silly thing and Beatrice knows that Ava is just being playful as she usually is. But the thought of sharing this silly little inconsequential secret with Ava brings a flutter to Beatrice's chest. 

She kind of likes the idea of having something that is just theirs — just hers and Ava’s. 

So, Beatrice nods, smiles back at Ava, “It’s a promise.”

\- - -

Another thing that is just theirs is their beach walks at night. 

The beach walks turn into some sort of routine for them. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, Beatrice would take a walk along the shore until she reaches the front of Cabin #13, where Ava would be waiting already. They would sit for a while, just talking about the most random things, Beatrice learns, she likes seeing the various emotions that flit all over Ava’s face as she reacts. 

“It’s stupid, is what it is!” Ava exclaims. “It makes absolutely no sense, Beatrice.”

“The alternative makes even less sense, if you think about it.” Beatrice says with a shake of her head and an amused smile. 

“No, it’s fine! We just call, then slip out of camp for a bit, get our stuff, and then we’re back inside right after!” Ava explains, waving her hands all over. 

“Yes, and then they’ll wonder where we came from because we will be standing in the middle of nowhere by a forest.”

“The mist is there! There’s a reason why we have this mist thing, right? And you know how to manipulate it with your big and powerful brain.”

It always amazes Beatrice how Ava shows so much conviction all the time, regardless of what she’s arguing for. She’s always so full of passion and it’s beautiful, Beatrice thinks, even if Ava is arguing about one of the silliest things Beatrice has ever heard of.

“Ava, really, I doubt we can order McDonald’s to the camp. It makes zero sense to have fast food delivered in the middle of nowhere. We’ll risk getting exposed.” Beatrice laughs. 

Ava groans loudly, makes a face that makes Beatrice laugh some more, and relents, letting her body drop to the sand behind her, “Ugh, fine. I just miss fast food, that’s all.”

Beatrice watches for a moment, takes her time before speaking again. 

“Do you miss a lot from your life outside camp?”

Ava glances at Beatrice for a few seconds before shifting her gaze away again with a hum, thinking about the question. Beatrice has been meaning to ask Ava this for a while now. She knows that Ava still has some reservations with being in the camp, has trouble with following some of the rules. She wonders a lot if maybe Ava regrets being brought to the camp.

“I miss a grand total of two things.” Ava finally answers after a couple of minutes. “I miss unhealthy food, for one.” Ava says with a grin, making Beatrice smile back. 

“And I miss Diego.” Ava concludes. 

That makes Beatrice stop. Ava has never mentioned a Diego before. He must be someone special if Ava misses him, right? Beatrice shifts awkwardly in her seat as the silence stretches on. She wants to know who he is, but she doesn’t know how to ask without prying. 

It’s Ava who eventually ends the silence. “You can ask, you know.”

“What?”

Ava rolls her eyes playfully, “I can see the wheels in your brain turning and turning. If you’re curious about anything, you can ask. I’ll answer honestly.”

Beatrice nods slowly. “Okay then. Who is Diego, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t,” Ava reassures her, and it makes Beatrice smile. “And Diego is a friend. He’s from the orphanage, also. He’s my closest friend there, so I miss him a lot.” There’s a softness in the way Ava talks about Diego that makes Beatrice feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“I see.” Beatrice whispers and looks away. “You seem close.” She offers casually, or as casually as she could. 

“Yeah, we are. He’s…” Ava pauses, sitting up and looking out into the sea. “For a long time, it’s just been us. Just the two of us against everyone. You know, people misunderstood me a lot. I was weird and an accident-magnet but he… Diego didn’t understand either, but he accepted me.” Ava ends wistfully with a certain hint of fondness. 

“Oh…” There’s suddenly a weird feeling in the bottom of her stomach, like it’s being filled with gravel and Beatrice looks away. She doesn’t know what it means and doesn’t like the way it feels. Suddenly, Ava feels farther away, and Beatrice digs her feet deeper into the sand to ground herself because she feels like floating away, feels the desire to lift herself off the ground and fly to where Ava seems to be. 

“That’s… Um, that’s nice. It’s… unfortunate that you got separated from one another.” Beatrice says after a moment, her words feeling like sand in her mouth.

“Yeah, but,” Ava shrugs. “It’s for the best. I wouldn’t want him to be dragged into all the mess I bring with me. He’ll make new friends; it won’t be difficult. It rarely ever is for 10-year-old kids.”

What? Beatrice’s head turns so fast it almost hurt. “I’m sorry, what?”

Ava blinks. “What?”

If she wasn’t so confused right now, Beatrice would have laughed at how much Ava resembled an owl right now. But there are more pressing matters to clarify, and so Beatrice says, “10-year-old kid?”

Ava seems to catch on and she nods. “Oh, Diego, I mean. It won’t be difficult for him to find friends. Kids that age are all friendly and shit, you know?”

At this, Beatrice lets out a laugh, shaking her head at herself. The heaviness is suddenly lifted and the uncomfortable feeling from earlier is replaced by a feeling of silliness, mostly directed to herself. A sense of relief settles in her chest. 

“What?” Ava asks, raising an eyebrow at Beatrice and her lips tugging up in amusement. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, Ava.” Beatrice shakes her head, another giggle coming out of her. “It’s just… It’s nothing important, really.”

Ava snorts, shaking her own head. “You are such a weirdo sometimes, Beatrice.” She says fondly.

Beatrice doesn’t disagree. Ava might be onto something, after all. Lately, she has been feeling weird. Especially when she’s around Ava. It’s something that Beatrice isn’t really ready to prod and dissect yet, so she pushes it to the back of her mind. She watches as Ava stands up and stretches a hand towards her. 

“Come on, weirdo. Let’s take a walk.”

Beatrice smiles in gratitude as she places her hand in Ava’s and allows herself to be pulled up, her heart speeding up a bit in excitement. It signifies the beginning of the best part of their new routine, when Ava would pull Beatrice up and they will start the slow walk towards Cabin #1. 

The walk is nice and fun but the part that Beatrice likes the most is when Ava would pull her along and not let go of their clasped hands.

Ava’s hand is a bit cold to the touch, but Beatrice likes it. She likes the tingling feeling she gets on her fingers when Ava would give their joined hands a squeeze. She likes it when Ava would swing their hands back and forth gently. She likes the static that would run up her arms when Ava would gently rub her thumbs on whatever part of Beatrice’s hand it can reach. 

Eventually, no matter how slowly they walk, they reach Cabin #1. Ava walks Beatrice up the steps until they stop right in front of the looming doors. 

“Here we are,” Ava announces in a way that makes both of them laugh.

Beatrice nods. “I can see that.”

“Of course, you can.” Ava says, laughing at herself in the slightly awkward yet endearing way she tends to do. “Um, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

They see each other every day without fail but this is something Ava never fails to ask after their walks, always while peering at Beatrice hopefully. 

It always steals her breath away for a moment whenever Ava would look at her in that way. No one has looked at her like that before, like she is important and wanted— she herself, and not just her powers or abilities. It takes Beatrice a few seconds to recover, and when she does, she nods at Ava and smiles, “Yes, Ava. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Perfect!” Ava grins, as she squeezes Beatrice's hand once before letting it go. “Goodnight, Beatrice. Thanks for spending time with me.”

Beatrice thinks she should be the one thanking Ava, but she just nods, smiling back. “Goodnight, Ava. Sweet dreams.”

Ava stares at her for a couple seconds more before slowly walking backwards, giving Beatrice one last wave, and turning around and walking away. 

Beatrice watches her walk away until Ava disappears into the night, the shadows seemingly converging around her. They probably are, in an attempt to embrace the child of the Underworld, to protect her, to hide her away. Once Ava is completely gone, Beatrice enters her cabin, closes the door behind her, and leans her back on it. She looks at her hand, feels the lingering cold touch of Ava’s fingers, and Beatrice doesn’t resist the smile that tugs on her lips. 

Spending time alone with Ava has quickly become something Beatrice looks forward to and she can’t wait for the next one already. 

\- - -

“Beatrice, have you seen Ava?”

Beatrice pulls her attention away from the bo staff she’s cleaning when she hears Lilith’s voice. She glances up to see Lilith standing a few feet away from her, books clutched closed to her chest and an eyebrow raised questioningly at her. 

“Um, not really?” Beatrice says slowly, slightly taken aback by Lilith’s presence. Lilith very rarely seeks her out during the morning when they all have their own camp schedule and tasks lined up. “Perhaps you should ask Camila? She’s been in-charge of Ava’s schedule, I think.”

“I did already, and it didn’t yield much of a result.” Lilith sighs heavily, almost exasperatedly, and plops down on one of the seats in the work area Beatrice is occupying. “I was hoping you’d know where she is. As did Camila.”

This time, it’s Beatrice who looks questioningly at Lilith. “Why would you both think that?”

Lilith pauses, eyeing Beatrice in the way she usually eyes people when they’re asking questions with obvious answers. It irritates Beatrice a bit, not liking it when people look at her like that, but she pushes it down, knowing Lilith enough to also know that Lilith doesn’t mean anything by it.

“You’re always together these days.” Lilith says.

Beatrice opens her mouth to disagree but can’t seem to find strong enough words to do so. She opens and closes her mouth a few more times before simply saying, “No, we’re not.” She winces internally at how unconvincing she sounds to herself. 

Based on the amused look on Lilith’s face, Beatrice knows that her statement is as weak as it sounded. “Yes, you are.” Lilith says pointedly, “Think about it. It’s been a while since Camila had to help Ava with anything in the camp, and that’s because Ava always goes to you instead.”

Beatrice wants to comment on how Lilith seems to be weirdly aware of Camila’s business, but her brain is too busy thinking about what Lilith just said about Ava going to her. She thinks back on the events of this week, recalls what happens each day and she realizes that Lilith is correct, Ava does go to her a lot. 

It’s only now that Beatrice is realizing that her afternoon routine has changed a lot since Ava’s arrival at camp. What used to be afternoons spent alone sparring or going through the camp archives has now been replaced with sparring with Ava together with their friends, or helping Ava with random things around camp, such as finding the best weapon for her or getting her used to the camp protocols. The realization doesn’t bother her so much as it surprises her. Ava has integrated herself in Beatrice’s everyday routine without Beatrice even realizing it. 

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

Lilith’s voice cuts through her thoughts and Beatrice looks at her. She nods slowly, still trying to process the realization. Her brain is conjuring so many thoughts and ideas all at once that Beatrice is having a hard time catching up to them. One question, however, is more relentless than the others and Beatrice tries to rack her brain for an answer, going over all the scenarios and memories and details of the past few weeks in her mind. But she can’t find any and soon she just finds herself staring at Lilith. 

Lilith stares back patiently, silent and unmoving as she plants her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her hand. It takes Beatrice a few more minutes before she gathers the will to speak up. 

“Do you have any idea why, Lilith?” Beatrice asks quietly. 

“Why what?” 

“Why... this is happening?” By this Beatrice means the fact that Ava seems to seek her out a lot, but she can’t find a way to phrase it in a way that will not make her head in and her palms sweat. So, she settles for this and sends a silent prayer of gratitude when Lilith doesn’t give her a hard time about it. 

But Lilith does stare at her for a long while, 30 seconds to be exact, before letting out a soft sigh, something very uncharacteristic of her. 

“Ava doesn’t really seem like the type who’s brainy enough to have some sort of ulterior plan, Beatrice.” Lilith says as she stands up and starts gathering her books. 

Beatrice frowns a bit at the implications of Lilith’s statement, but she doesn’t get the chance to voice out her complaints. 

Lilith fixes her with a look and shrugs lightly, “So it seems to me like Ava just really likes being with you.” 

Lilith’s words make Beatrice’s eyes widen and Beatrice swears she could feel her brain actually short-circuit. Lilith continues looking at her for a few seconds more but just shrugs again when she realizes she won't be getting any reaction from Beatrice any time soon. 

Lilith turns around at this and starts walking away.

“When your brain starts working again and when you see that dumbass, tell her Greek lessons will be twice longer next week.”

Beatrice barely registers Lilith’s request, her brain still stuck on the words Ava and likes being with you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be the longest chapter in this fic, we will see what happens. Anyways enjoy!

It has been more than a week since Beatrice had her weird talk with Lilith. It’s only weird because Lilith and Beatrice, through the many years they have known each other, do not do feelings talk. Not that their talk pertains to any feelings Beatrice may or may not be having. Because it doesn't. Not really. Even if the talk does suspiciously sound like a feeling talk. But anyway, it’s been more than a week since then and Beatrice, after thorough observation of her relationship dynamics with Ava (and a secret tally of how many hours they spend together in a day), can finally concede that Lilith was right about Ava (and her preference of being with Beatrice, not the thing about Ava’s brain powers). 

She’s gotten past her initial difficulty in processing this information and now, Beatrice is just marveling at how easy it is to be with Ava. 

For years, Beatrice has found it difficult to connect with the different people around her. She’s always been the different one, even when she’s with Lilith and Mary and Camila. They do have a good relationship with one another, and Beatrice appreciates her friends greatly, but she’s always been a bit of a loner, even when she’s with them. It’s not their fault, really, they have always shown their appreciation of Beatrice and have always treated Beatrice normally, but it always seems like there’s just this thin line between them that prevents Beatrice from feeling a hundred percent herself like she’s really just like all of them. 

With Ava, everything seems to come naturally. There’s no line between them and Beatrice doesn’t feel like she has to pretend to be anyone or anything else other than herself. Beatrice feels a hundred percent comfortable. She can complain about her powers without coming off as ungrateful or boastful. She can laze around without being accused of relying on Zeus’ blessing. She can be just Beatrice and not the daughter of Zeus Beatrice. With Ava, Beatrice feels valued for more than just her parentage. 

Being with Ava is easy. There’s no need for any kind of pretense, there’s no need for any preamble. Beatrice just gets to be. 

Beatrice is in the middle of tending to the flowers when she hears the familiar sound of footsteps drawing nearer. A smile instantly appears on Beatrice’s lips, knowing exactly who it is. She waits, pretends like she doesn’t hear anything, and eventually, she feels hands land on her shoulders roughly, giving her a shake. 

“BOO!”

She calmly turns her head and raises an eyebrow at Ava, a laugh bubbling out of her lips when the mischievous grin on Ava’s face morphs into a look of silly disappointment when she realizes her plan failed.

“Ugh, Beatrice!” Ava groans loudly, shaking Beatrice again. “You were supposed to be surprised!” 

“Was I?” Beatrice asks, still looking at Ava fondly.

“Yes! And you were supposed to do that shocking electricity thing!”

Beatrice shakes her head at this. For weeks now Ava has been randomly trying to sneak up on Beatrice, fascinated by how Beatrice can produce electricity from her body. After the first time Beatrice accidentally sent static through their joined hands, Ava has been determined to get another similar reaction. 

“That could seriously hurt you, you know. Sometimes I can’t control how much electricity I expel.” Beatrice chides gently as she turns back to her flowers. She begins tending to the flowers again, slightly aware of Ava’s hands that are still resting on her shoulders.

Ava hums, slowly sliding her hands off of Beatrice’s shoulder and taking a seat beside Beatrice, her back turned to the flowerbed so she can face Beatrice. Beatrice stiffens upon seeing how close they are in this position, the side of Ava’s body almost pressed against Beatrice and their faces only a foot apart. 

“You wouldn’t hurt me.” Ava says. It takes Beatrice a second to understand that Ava is replying to what she said earlier, a little bit distracted by their proximity. “You wouldn’t hurt me with your static shock.”

“I wouldn’t?” Beatrice asks slowly, watching as Ava’s lips slowly spread into a smile. 

“Nope!” Ava shakes her head, her attention shifting from Beatrice to the flowers on the ground. 

Beatrice waits for Ava to elaborate but nothing comes. Instead, Ava picks at some of the flowers, looking over every one of them with rapt attention. Beatrice feels a wave of fondness wash over her. Ava has such a short attention span sometimes. Normally, Beatrice would think it’s a weird and slightly annoying trait but with Ava, like most things about the child of Hades, it’s just charming and endearing. 

“Care to elaborate on that?” Beatrice prods, lowering herself to the ground to take a seat instead of crouching. “What makes you so sure that I won’t hurt you with my static?”

Ava plucks one of the flowers from the ground and twirls it in her fingers. When she looks up at Beatrice again, there’s a happy and relaxed expression on her face, like she’s completely comfortable sitting on hard ground with Beatrice. 

“Because” Ava starts, smiling brightly in a way that makes Beatrice nervous or excited or exhilarated, Beatrice isn’t really sure, but whatever it is makes her heart thump wildly against her ribcage. “You will never do anything to hurt me. I’m sure of that.”

Then Ava raises her hand and tucks the flower behind Beatrice’s ear. Ava's touch is so light and so gentle that if she weren't looking directly at Ava, Beatrice would mistake it for her imagination. But it is real, as real as Ava’s fingers grazing her cheek, as real as Ava’s beautiful eyes looking at her so lovingly. Realer than anything Beatrice has ever experienced, and she feels her heart clench in her chest.

“You like me too much for you to hurt me.” Ava adds, this time with the all too charming grin she uses far too often. “I’m your favorite, aren’t I?” She ends with a laugh. 

And in the short moment it takes Beatrice to formulate a proper answer to Ava, a hundred different things run through her mind. She thinks about how unfair Ava is being, pulling a move like this. She thinks about how curious it is that even though Ava is laughing, Beatrice is the breathless one. She thinks about how close their faces are, so close that Beatrice could feel the soft puffs of Ava’s breath on her face. She thinks about how her heart keeps on clenching and unclenching as if it’s getting ready to explode. 

The point is, Beatrice is thinking about so, so many things. Mostly though, she thinks about how Ava— silly, dorky, good-hearted Ava is right, so very right. 

“Yes, you’re right, Ava.” Beatrice finally answers but doesn’t specify anything else. Whether she’s talking about liking Ava or Ava being her favorite, that’s for Beatrice to know right now. 

But still, Ava is right, and this— the thing that has been going on between them for a long while now, this thing Beatrice just can’t deny anymore— this feels right, and Beatrice needs Ava to know that even if she can’t tell her directly yet. 

“You’re absolutely right, Ava.” Beatrice whispers once more, catching Ava’s hand in her own to give it a gentle squeeze. 

Ava lights up. “Of course, I am.” She says confidently, and that’s that, and Beatrice can live with just this for now.

Beatrice is slowly but surely getting used to someone wanting and choosing to be around her, to be with her, and gods be damned if it doesn’t feel so freakin’ good. 

\- - -

A few days pass and this time, it’s Beatrice who finds Lilith. 

She didn’t really plan on it, she’s on her way back to her cabin when she sees Lilith lounging outside the Athena cabin, surrounded by books as she scribbles on a notebook. She takes a turn, deciding to go the long way so she can pass by and greet Lilith. 

She smiles at Lilith as she slides into one of the chairs. “Hi, Lilith.”

Lilith glances at her, pauses for a moment, before nodding at Beatrice. “Hello, Beatrice.” She looks behind Beatrice briefly, “I see you don’t have your puppy with you today.”

“Ava is not a puppy.” Beatrice answers back. She stops, thinks for a moment, before shrugging. “Okay, maybe she is kind of like a puppy sometimes.” 

Lilith snorts at this, the most elegant snort Beatrice has probably heard in her life. “Yeah, she is.”

“She’s off with Mary today.” Beatrice shares. “How have you been?”

“I’m okay. It’s been a bit boring these past days though.” Lilith answers, putting down her pen and giving her full attention to Beatrice. “How about you? What have you and Ava been up to lately?” 

Beatrice shrugs, “She’s been playing around with her abilities lately. Mostly with Geokinesis.”

“And how’s that going for her?”

“Surprisingly well,” She says, and then she remembers something that makes her laugh softly, “Recently, Ava’s been into this thing where she practices levitating rocks and making them fly to random directions and she has me shooting them with lightning bolts.” Beatrice thinks about the look of full glee on Ava’s face whenever the shards of rocks would disintegrate into pieces and she shakes her head fondly. 

“It’s, uh, utterly chaotic, really, but also, you know,” Beatrice smiles and shakes her head. “Also so like her.”

When she finishes her impromptu story, Beatrice looks to Lilith to see the other girl staring at her, her eyes twinkling with something that makes Beatrice shift in her seat. 

“... What?” Beatrice asks after a while of Lilith just staring. 

Lilith shakes her head but keeps on staring at Beatrice anyway. Beatrice waits, but Lilith doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything, and Beatrice starts to mildly bristle. She doesn't like being scrutinized like what Lilith seems to be doing.

Beatrice could feel the beginnings of static tickle the back of her neck. “Lilith, seriously, what?”

“Hey, calm down.” Lilith says in a tone Beatrice knows is meant to placate her. She looks over at Beatrice, her eyes moving all over Beatrice’s form before waving her hand aimlessly in a gesture. “It’s just… You’re different lately. You seem… brighter.”

“Brighter?” Beatrice asks slowly, wondering what Lilith is on about. 

“You’re more relaxed and easygoing. Like you’re having a lot of fun.” Lilith explains. “I’ve been watching you and I can see how you’re changing. You’re not like how you used to be. You're different.”

This catches Beatrice off guard. She doesn’t know how to react exactly, but she feels the familiar feeling of panic rise up her throat, like how it used to when people would talk about her going against their expectations. She opens her mouth to object, but Lilith cuts her off with a shake of her head. 

“It’s not a bad thing, Beatrice,” Lilith says resolutely. “These changes aren’t bad. Sure, we haven't been as close, but I still know you.” There’s a tinge of nostalgia and regret in Lilith’s voice that makes Beatrice feel somewhat sad as the other girl continues, 

“I have known you for years, Beatrice, and now is the only time I actually see you having fun. Now is the only time I see you being actually happy. And there is nothing wrong with that. You deserve to be happy.”

Lilith’s voice is soft, softer than Beatrice is used to hearing, and it reminds her of her early days in camp when she was just finding her footing and a rugged, yet elegant looking Lilith arrives, all stormy eyes and knowing stares. It reminds her of the two of them, young and scared in a new place, bonding over shared pain brought on by their own families, stories of which were whispered to one another while huddled close in front of the campfire. They do go a long way back and they do know each other the best, even if it doesn't seem like it at times, even if they haven't had any of their talks in years. Beatrice can feel their friendship blooming anew and it brings a sense of comfort she didn't know she wanted or needed. 

“Ava may be reckless, idiotic, chaotic, and self-centered at times, but” Lilith enumerates in an exasperated and amused tone, a fond expression crossing her face for just a split second before it goes back to normal. “She’s good for you. I can see that. And Mary and Camila can, too.” Lilith ends with a small smile and a roll of her eyes.

She still doesn’t know how to react but for a completely different reason this time. She thinks about the possibility that her friends have been watching Ava and her interact for a while now and then liking what they see. She thinks about how she does feel different with Ava. She thinks about how Ava— chaotic and reckless Ava— is really actually good for her, like what Lilith is telling her. She thinks about all these things but can't find any words to express them. She’s speechless after hearing everything Lilith just said and so Beatrice takes a deep breath to try to compose herself. 

“That’s, uh… smart of you, Lilith.” Beatrice says slowly and promptly winces at how idiotic she sounded just now. 

Lilith laughs though and throws Beatrice an amused look. “Well, yeah, Beatrice. I'm the smart and sensible one here, you all just need to learn how to listen to me.”

Beatrice joins the laughter, and she marvels at how light she is feeling and at how the panic is gone already. She has a lot to process but it's easier this time— maybe Ava would always have that effect on her.

They quiet down after a while and Beatrice takes the time to look at Lilith, to appreciate her friend. So much for not doing feelings talk, Beatrice muses. But she feels glad that she had this talk with Lilith. She feels glad that she still has Lilith as a friend, even if they did drift apart for a long time. Beatrice smiles gratefully, doing her best to convey her sincerity and appreciation to her friend.

“Thank you, Lilith.” Beatrice says happily and almost cheekily. “For everything.”

Lilith rolls her eyes again, even as a fond smile graces her lips. 

“Whatever, Bea.”

\- - -  
Beatrice has been happy lately.

She’s been spending a lot of time with her friends, and even more with Ava. They’re all doing well, and Ava is improving a lot when it comes to discovering her abilities. She and Lilith are becoming closer again, like actual close friends that talk, just like how they were before. She’s in a good place right now, better than where she has been in a long while, and Beatrice is just really… happy. 

It figures that soon enough; something will ruin her newfound happiness. More exactly, someone. 

Beatrice is on her way to meet Ava when she is met by a panicked Camila. 

“Camila!” Beatrice steps in front of the running girl and stops her by putting her hands-on Camila’s shoulder. She sweeps her eyes all over Camila, checking to see if she’s hurt or anything.

“B-Bea, you have to—”

Beatrice frowns at the struggling and breathless girl before her. She rubs at her back slowly, “Hey, breathe, Camila. Breathe first. What is it?”

Camila nods, inhales a lungful of air several times before standing up straight and looking at Beatrice with wild and worried eyes, “Bea, you have to come, it’s Crimson and Ava!”

It’s all Beatrice needs to hear before she’s taking off, running to the direction Camila came from, with Camila hot on her heels. Camila fills her in on the way, about how Crimson came around while Camila and Ava were cleaning the bows and arrows in the weaponry and started harassing Camila about wanting to check out more weapons. Ava stepped in and Crimson has had it out for her since the first capture the flag game. 

When Beatrice sees them, Ava is already on the ground, her nose and her forehead bleeding profusely all over her face and her camp shirt. Crimson is holding her electric spear up in the air, about to bring it down on Ava and Beatrice feels panic grip her entire being. 

She rushes forward, places herself between the two of them, and catches the oncoming spear. She feels her body warm up as she absorbs the electric current from the spear trapped in her hand. 

“Get away from Ava.” Beatrice says harshly and forcefully, using the spear to push Crimson away. “Ava, move.” She orders, glancing briefly at Ava who remained on the ground, gaping at Beatrice. 

“And why the hell would I do what you say?” Crimson says with a scoff. “Mind your own business, Beatrice.”

“You hurting my friends is my business.” Beatrice answers back. 

“You mean this good-for-nothing girl? She should just go to the Underworld, where she belongs. Surely it’s bad luck to have someone like her here in camp.” Crimson spits out her words with so much disgust. 

Beatrice bristles at this, her temples suddenly emitting blue sparks at her growing anger. “Don’t talk about her that way.” Beatrice says, gesturing for Camila to help Ava, “She belongs here. Like all of us.”

“Like hell she does.”

“Beatrice,” Ava pants from behind her, and it makes Beatrice angrier to hear Ava sound weak and hurt. “It’s fine, I’m fine. Let it go.”

Beatrice glances behind her to see Ava being supported up by Camila. She meets Ava’s worried gaze and nods at her with a small smile before she turns her eyes to Camila. “Camila, get out of here and take Ava.”

Beatrice sees Camila nod before she faces Crimson again. “That’s enough, Crimson. This is over. Just walk away.”

Of course, Crimson does not relent, of course, things have to be difficult. Beatrice turns away to move to Camila and Ava, but she halts when she hears Crimson’s smug and irritating voice. 

“If she won’t go willingly then I’ll send her to where she belongs.”

Beatrice turns back to Crimson just in time to see her raise in front of her, and Beatrice feels the energy being emitted from the daughter of Ares. The gesture is something Beatrice is familiar with, having seen the Ares kids do it before whenever they want to show off. Telumkinesis one of their favorite tricks, and also one of their deadliest ones. 

“Bea!”

Beatrice turns her head at Camila’s call, and she sees various weapons float around Ava and Camila. Beatrice knows what comes next after taking aim, she’s seen Crimson and all the other Ares kids do it enough times using both deadly and blunt objects. She takes stock of all the weapons Crimson conjured around her friends and she imagines the blood and the bruises that will cover both Camila and Ava and Beatrice wants to throw up at the intense fear that drowns her heart. 

She sees Crimson smirk and wave her hand and Beatrice moves because she cannot let this happen, cannot let Camila and Ava be hurt, cannot stand to see the people she cares about— the person she might very well come to love— be put in danger.

“NO!”

Beatrice screams and everything else happens in a blur. She just moves and the next thing she knows is that she’s once again in front of Ava and Camila, her hands outstretched. Her hands are expelling copious amounts of electricity and lightning that forms a shield around them. Beatrice holds the shield for a while, holds the weapons suspended in her static barrier, before she discharges all the energy she’s holding. 

When Beatrice opens her eyes, all the conjured weapons are scattered and Crimson is a few meters away from them, rugged and jagged from what Beatrice assumes is the impact of her electrical discharge. 

Beatrice is breathless and confused, wondering what she just did and what just happened. She looks around at the damage she has caused (destroyed weaponry, broken trees, a hurt, and half-unconscious camp mate) and she feels her throat start closing in the beginnings of panic and anxiety. 

“B-Beatrice.”

Beatrice turns at Ava’s voice, she sees the look in Ava’s wide eyes, full of fear and worry and cautiousness. It’s a look that Beatrice is all too familiar with, a look that she grew up receiving. Beatrice hated the way that look made her feel. Like she’s a danger to the people around her like she’s a menace, and like she’s a hazard. 

Now, Ava is looking at her in that same way and Beatrice feels her heart drop. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Beatrice whispers. 

And she runs. 

\- - -

It doesn’t take long for Ava to find her. 

She’s hiding out behind Cabin #1. It’s where she used to go when she was a kid when she was new to the camp and things started being overwhelming. People knew to look for her in the main areas and in her cabin, but people don’t know this place. All they see is the huge front of the cabin, no one thinks to look beyond it. 

Ava is quiet but her footsteps are not. Her footsteps never are— another one of Ava’s endlessly endearing qualities. It’s like with each step she takes she’s giving off so much energy that it bounces off on the ground. Beatrice is leaning against the wall, her hands on her lap. She hears Ava’s steps come nearer and nearer until the other girl is kneeling in front of her. 

“Hey,” Ava whispers softly, looking Beatrice in the eyes. “Is it okay if I stay here with you?”

Beatrice nods. 

“Okay, good,” Ava says. “Are you okay?”

Beatrice nods again and tries to smile at Ava. “Yes, just… Yes, Ava.” She ends weakly before asking, “How about you?” She looks over at Ava, at her still bloodied clothes and her bloodied face. 

Ava looks at where Beatrice is looking, “Oh, this, uh, it’s just blood. Camila healed me before I left her.”

“That’s good.”

Silence settles over them and it’s not the comfortable silence she is used to sharing with Ava. It’s an uncomfortable one, filled with tension and apprehension. Beatrice hates it, and she hates it even more that she doesn't know where exactly it is coming from or how she could stop it. Not when she’s feeling like this. 

It takes another moment before Ava speaks up. 

“Can I ask why you ran?” Ava asks so softly Beatrice almost didn’t hear it. “What happened back there, Beatrice?”

Beatrice sighs, “Did I scare you?”

A look of confusion crosses Ava’s face and Beatrice doesn’t know if it’s because her question was answered with another question or if it is something else. 

“W-What?” Ava’s lips dip in a small frown. “What do you mean?”

“Earlier, when I…” Beatrice looks away from Ava and breathes out a heavy sigh again. “Did I scare you earlier?”

Understanding dawns on Ava’s face and she shifts closer to Beatrice, “You mean when you saved Camila and me? When you protected us?” Ava is looking at her incredulously. “Why would I be scared of that?”

“I saw it in your eyes.” Beatrice answers quietly. “You were afraid.”

“You thought I was afraid of you?” Ava’s disbelief is very evident in her tone and Beatrice doesn’t answer. “Beatrice, look at me, please.”

Beatrice does and she sees Ava looking at her so very softly, “You thought I was afraid of you?” Ava repeats and Beatrice nods. “I was afraid for you.”

Beatrice frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I was afraid that you’ll get hurt, Beatrice. That was what I was afraid of. It’s what I am afraid of.” Ava answers, “What happened was scary. Crimson was scary and quite possibly crazy.” Ava laughs softly, which makes one corner of Beatrice’s lips twitch up briefly. “But you, you weren’t scary, Beatrice.”

Ava reaches and takes a hold of one of Beatrice’s hands. She slowly intertwines their fingers together, her thumb gently caressing Beatrice’s skin. “You protected us.” Ava repeats. “You protected me. You weren’t scary.”

Beatrice takes a shaky breath. She’s been so overcome with the panic of suddenly seeing the fear in Ava’s eyes that she didn’t even consider that the fear might not be because of her. She didn’t consider it because it never happened before. People never worried about her before, they just worried about the destruction she might cause. And to hear Ava say these things now, Beatrice feels shaky, like she’s being uprooted from the hard and dry ground she’s been on for most of her life. 

“I wasn’t?” Beatrice asks. 

Ava shakes her head. “No,” She says as she brings the hand she’s holding to her cheek and presses Beatrice’s palm to her face, and leans towards the touch. “You were beautiful.”

Ava is so full of conviction, so sure of her answer as if it’s a fact that she needs Beatrice to understand. Beatrice feels Ava’s hand cover her own, and she revels at the way the soft and gentle hand seems to envelope hers, cradling it gently, almost lovingly. 

“You are so beautiful, Beatrice. Everything about you is beautiful.” Ava repeats once more, then she turns her head and presses her lips to Beatrice’s palm in a soft kiss as she whispers against it, “Never doubt that.”

The gesture is so personal, so intimate, and so painfully divine that Beatrice thinks she might just weep. She uses her thumb to caress Ava’s cheek, a move meant to make Ava feel even a fraction of the heavenly feelings Ava is currently making her feel and to make sure that Ava is solid and real before her, that everything that is going on right now, at this very moment, is real. 

She smiles at Ava, at this girl who is seemingly hellbent on destroying the giant wall of insecurities and anxiety Beatrice has erected around her. She closes her eyes and moves forward and closer until she can rest her forehead against Ava’s. 

“Thank you, Ava.’ Beatrice whispers. She doesn’t elaborate anymore but when Ava laughs softy, her breath dancing against Beatrice's lip, she thinks that maybe Ava gets it anyway. It feels a lot like Ava will always get her. 

All the while, Beatrice feels her heart slam itself against her chest over and over again, as if it’s trying to tear through her, to fly to Ava and present itself while rhythmically beating the words Beatrice hopes to have enough courage to say soon: 

I’m yours, I’m yours, all of me is yours. 

\- - -

Things are different and Beatrice loves it.

She used to not understand it. She found Camp Half-Blood and she found friends like Lilith and Camila and Mary— these were supposed to be the place she belongs in and the people she belongs to. But it never really seemed to be the case. For many years, Beatrice felt alone and lost and displaced. 

But not anymore. 

Ava Silva is unexpected, but definitely a pleasant surprise. Because now, through Ava, Beatrice understands. Being with Ava makes Beatrice understand. She understands now that maybe right here beside Ava is the place where she belongs, and maybe Ava could be the person she belongs to. Some things still don’t make sense but maybe that’s okay. 

Because maybe, hopefully, being with Ava would be good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so next week we are going to go back to Ava's pov and we are going to get into her training a bit. 
> 
> A little bit about me, I am in college to become an Audiologist :). I play college softball and season starts next week so I'm about to get hella busy :/. I have the next chapter written already but I might have to take a break in the next few weeks cuz I want to be able to give you guys my best work.


	6. Chapter 6

“Why is this so fucking hard!?! Gods I’m literally the daughter of the King of the Underworld and I can’t even control a fucking shadow” Ava huffs with frustration after her twentieth attempt to use shadows to make an apple invisible. 

“Language,” Camila says before offering Ava a sympathetic smile, “Don’t be so hard on yourself Ava, this is only you first day working with this form of Umbrakinesis. It took me at least a week to even be able to use photokinesis to make an apple invisible and I still can’t do anything bigger than a sword."

“Yea but you are one of the only Apollo kids with that kind of power. My dad’s whole thing is the dark and shadowy shi—stuff.” Ava pouts. She appreciates that Camila is trying to make her feel better about her lack of improvement today, but Ava can’t shake the voice in her head whispering that she should be better at this.

A pensive look takes form on Camila’s face, “Maybe this might help. What if we are going about this wrong? Even if you haven’t been able to control the shadows for this purpose yet, you can still feel them, right?” Camila asks Ava.

Ava pauses as she thinks over Camila’s question. “I guess, I have never thought about it but yeah, I guess I have always been able to feel them.”

“That’s good!” Camila’s eyes light up. “Why don’t you try to focus on the apple and picture the shadows surrounding it. Really try to feel the shadows wrap around it. Do you think you could try that?”

“Um, yeah sure,” Ava takes a deep breath to get rid of the whispers in her head, “It’s not a total shot in the dark.” She says as she sends the other girl her signature grin and a wink while Camila tries to stifle a giggle. 

Ava turns around to focus on the offending apple and closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath. She tries to feel her surroundings and the shadows that linger. They are definitely there, always pulling at her, calling out to her trying to coax her into the darkness. She reaches out to the shadows around the apple, they feel familiar and cold. She lets herself follow their call until she feels something click. 

At this, she opens her eyes with a newfound confidence in her grip on the shadows. They feel as though they are an extension of herself now, leaking out from every inch of her skin. 

As she returns her attention back to the apple, she moves her hands forward. She pushes the darkness towards the apple, directing it around it until she couldn’t see the apple anymore and all she could see was the shadows she just moved there. 

“Holy shit,” Ava said quietly as she lets out a breath of relief and surprise.

The shadows dissipate a second later making the apple visible once again.

Ava startles as Camila shouts, “Ava! That was amazing! You did it!” She said with a blinding smile. 

Ava is silent as she looks down at her hands, a smile forming on her face. “Thank you,” she says turning towards Camila. “That really helped.”

Camila beams at her, “It was nothing, you were the one who did all the work. I’m just glad I could help a little.”

“Don’t undersell yourself, it would have taken me at least two more weeks to get that without your help.” As she sends her a fond smile. “You could give Lilith a run for her money as a teacher.” Ava offers her.

“Thank you, Ava.” Camila says as her cheeks turn pink. “but Lilith is an exceptional teacher, a little headstrong and stubborn sure, but there isn’t a lot that I know that she doesn’t. If you give her a chance without pushing too many of her buttons”, she looks at Ava and shakes her head at Ava’s affronted look, “she can be a remarkable teacher.”

Ava rolls her eyes playfully, “Yeah, yeah. She’s the one who starts the button-pushing… but I guess I can try.” Ava smirks and looks at Camila, “You know that’s some high praise you are giving dear old Lilith. Does someone have a crush on grumplestilskin??” Ava asks as she wiggles her eyebrows. 

Camila shakes her head and giggles, turning away from her to get another item for Ava to practice with. “Can I tell you a secret?” Ava nods excitedly.

Camila turns and moves closer to Ava with a mischievous look on her face. “I have been trying to get her to confess her feelings for me for weeks now. Mary and I have a bet to see how long it will take and if she doesn’t do it soon, I’m at risk of having to do Mary’s chores for two weeks.”

Ava gapes at Camila in shock.

“Naturally, I can’t have that so I might just have to do all the work and confess before she does.” She feigns annoyance but Ava can see her lips pulling upward.

“YOU WHAT?!? Camila! You sly dog!” Ava has a look of pure amazement and amusement on her face. “I have to be honest; I didn’t expect this from you, but I am loving it.”

Camila laughs a bit at that. “Yeah well, I’m not as innocent as people think. I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve.” She says, her eyes full of mischief. 

Ava matches Camila’s energy as she jokingly says, “I can’t tell if I want to be you or be with you right now.” 

Camila giggles, “Don’t let Beatrice hear you saying that I don’t want either of us to be struck down with lightning.” 

At that Ava’s face turns a bright shade of red as she smiles and clears her throat. “Yeah…yeah that’s, um probably smart.” 

Camila looks at Ava thoughtfully before deciding to move on, “Ok, I think we should keep trying this shadow invisibility with larger objects before we head to lunch. How about we try with this knife?” She asks as she sets a twelve-inch dagger on the tree stump.

Ava shakes her head trying to pull her head out of her thoughts that were now on Beatrice. “Um, yeah that sounds good.”

Ava continues to work on manipulating the shadows around different objects for two more hours. She was successfully able to make five more objects invisible, though it did get considerably harder as the items increased in size. The voice in her head had gotten quieter as the morning went on but it was still there. Despite that though, she was still proud of herself.

A warm feeling engulfs her chest as she thinks that she might just be getting the hang of the whole being the daughter of Hades thing. 

. . . 

After lunch, Ava and Beatrice go to the open area by Beatrice’s cabin to train. They were going to see if Ava could form solid weapons with shadows like she did with a shield during her first encounter with Crimson.

She had a newfound confidence in her ability to control the shadows, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to do it around Beatrice. Whenever she is with Beatrice, she finds it hard to focus on anything else but her. It’s like every part of her is being drawn to the girl, her eyes always seek her out, her hands always want to be touching any part of her even if it is just her hand just grazing Beatrice's.

I mean could anyone really blame Ava; I mean just look at Beatrice. If Ava didn’t know that Beatrice was the daughter of Zeus, she would think that Beatrice herself was a goddess, like damn.

As Ava meets Beatrice’s eyes, she finds them already on her like she was awaiting an answer. Ava’s cheeks redden at being caught lost in thought, at least she doesn’t know that it was her that she was thinking about.

“W-What?... Sorry Bea could you say that again?” 

Beatrice rolls in fond exasperation her eyes. “I said, we should probably start with a shield since you have already done that once. Does that sound ok to you?”

“Hmm, yea that sounds good, you’re in charge,” Ava says as she wiggles her eyebrows and sends a wink towards Beatrice, which causes her to pause.

She shakes her head as she lets out an exasperated laugh, “That was bad Ava.” 

“I know not my best, but it made you laugh so I’m good with that.” Ava smiles and takes one last look at the captivating woman in front of her before turning her attention to the task at hand. 

“Okay, here goes something, maybe.”

She closes her eyes and takes a minute to feel her surroundings, reaching out to the shadows around her like she did this morning. Instead of pushing them to engulf something, she pictures a shield on her left arm, pushing the shadows forward to form the shield she had pictured. 

Only for her to open her eyes and nothing to be there. Ava huffs in confusion as she can feel Beatrice’s piercing gaze on her. That should have worked, it worked this morning. The whispers in her head are coming back in strength. Ava shakes it off and decides to try again. 

She closes her eyes and reached out with her mind and really tried to focus on the familiarity the shadows bring with them. But instead of feeling the shadows, all she can feel is the familiarity of Beatrice. Every time she breathes in, she can smell Beatrice’s scent. She can feel the heat coming off of Beatrice’s body and she can hear her breathing. All she can feel is just Beatrice. 

Ava peaks one eye open only to find Beatrice staring right back at her.

“Focus Ava.” Beatrice said.

“I’m trying, just give me a second,” Ava responded as she tried again. And again.

It was about 20 minutes later, and Ava still couldn’t get her mind to focus on anything but Beatrice. It was so pathetic. The whispers in her head had now turned into an insistent shout. How was she going to get any better if she couldn’t even focus right? Maybe the nuns back at the orphanage were right, she was useless and a burden on everyone around her. 

She could feel an overwhelming panic building inside her. Everything was going too fast in her head.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about how fucking useless she felt that she couldn’t even get the simplest thing right. The familiar voice of Sister Francis was now yelling the same things she had said to her on repeat in the orphanage. She was going to be a burden to the girls she considered her family here. Soon enough they were going to realize that she wasn’t worth it, and they were going to leave her just like everyone else. Maybe she should just beat them to it and—

Beatrice cuts through her spiral like a knife. “Ava! Listen to me! You must stop!” 

She turns to look at Beatrice with wide panic eyes as she feels the ground beneath her shake violently. Shit, shit, shit! Am I doing this? Ava gasped and her breath rattled as she desperately sucked in air, hands pressed to the sides of her head.

“Fuck, Beatrice I—I don’t know what’s happening. I—" She sputters weakly. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can Ava, I know you can. Just listen to my voice, try to calm down.” 

A sob breaks loose from deep down in Ava’s throat. “I’m trying! It’s not working!” The voices in her head are still roaring and she can’t think.

And she is trying, she really is to listen to Beatrice’s voice and calm down, but her brain won’t let her it’s like she is running 5 different marathons blind. She can feel something building trying to force its way out. The ground is starting to shake harder now. She can hear Beatrice yelling something, trying to soothe her panic. But at this point, the roaring in her head and the force amassing in her body is all too much and she can’t seem to do anything about it.

Suddenly Ava lets out a pained yell as all of the energy in her body forces its way out. 

There was a loud crack and as she is falling to her knees from exhaustion, she sees a large fissure in the earth pointing in the direction of where Beatrice was standing.

Ava looks up as she frantically searches for Beatrice, only to find her running towards her, her face full of worry.

“Ava? Ava, are you ok?” Beatrice asks, concern evident in her voice.

“I—I…” it takes a few seconds for Ava to find her voice as the remnants of her panic attack fades. “I don’t know… I am so sorry. I don’t know what that was.” She says as tears start to fall down her cheeks.

Ava feels as Beatrice puts her hand on Ava’s cheek as she wipes away Ava’s tears.

“Hey, it’s ok. You are safe now, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” She says as folds her arms around Ava, holding her tight. The safety Ava feels being held by Beatrice brings about a fresh wave of tears. Ava sags into Beatrice and clutches at the back of Beatrice’s camp shirt. 

After a few minutes of Ava thoroughly ruining Beatrice’s shirt, Beatrice loosens her hold and lets Ava sit back. 

Now feeling ashamed and embarrassed for letting her emotions cause such a scene, Ava looks at the ground. “I’m sorry.” She says softly.

“Oh, Ava,” Beatrice says as she moves her hands to Ava’s face once more lifting it so she can look into her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Ava leans into Beatrice’s touch; her hands feel so soft despite the callouses from years of mastering an array of weapons. “I could have hurt you, Bea.”

“You would never hurt me, just like I would never hurt you. Plus, accidents are bound to happen when you first start to grow into your powers, Ava.” A slight smile forms on Beatrice’s face. “You know when I first started training, I struck the armory with a lightning bolt and it lit on fire. They had to build a whole new armory because of me.”

The surprise is written on Ava’s face as she continues. “What I’m trying to prove is that this happens to everyone.” Ava sighs into Beatrice as she brushes her thumbs on Ava’s cheek. “But you don’t have to do this alone. You have Camilla, and Mary and Lilith… and you have me. I will be with you every step of the way. And if you ever want to tell me about what triggered this, I’ll be there for that too.”

Any remaining anxiety Ava had trapped in her body immediately disappears at the sanctity of her words. Ava looks directly into Bea’s heavenly eyes. “Thank you.” She whispers.

Beatrice moves so her forehead is touching Ava’s own. They both sigh and relax into the gesture. 

At this moment, here with Beatrice, Ava’s heart feels full. She knows that she has a lot of work to do in both her physical and mental training, but here she knows she is wanted and loved; she is everything those nuns told her she would never be. 

Here with the girl that is quickly taking hold of her heart, and with the others, she considers her family, she has found a home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are going to get a little background on Mary next chapter. Annndd maybe see the beginnings of a quest I don't know we will see:))). I'll try to post it on time but games start this week so I might not have time but I will try.


End file.
